


Just By Happenstance

by Unwieldyink



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-06
Updated: 2018-07-06
Packaged: 2019-06-06 08:47:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15191126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unwieldyink/pseuds/Unwieldyink
Summary: It was just another day of earning some extra cash for Will. He didn't expect for it to spiral into this. Singer AU / Uber Driver AU / Mortal AU





	1. Chapter 1

Will pulled up to the curb, sighing. The person he was supposed to pick up stood on the sidewalk, enveloped in his phone. He was young, around Will's age, with dark hair that obscured his eyes from view as he looked down. When Will pulled up, though, the boy shoved his phone in his pocket and reached out to open the door. As soon as he sat down, Will began his well-practiced welcome.

"Hello, I'm Will, I'll be your uber driver today. There's a phone charger back there if you want to use it, and air conditioning and music are completely up to you, just ask." He'd seen some pictures online of uber drivers who had gone all out; snacks, free wifi, the whole shabang, all in an attempt to get a good rating. Will would have liked to get a good rating, sure, but… he wasn't that extra. And, the thought, he honestly was too lazy to put something like that together.

"I'm Nico," the boy mumbled, refusing to make eye contact with Will in the mirror.

A shy one, then. That was fine. It meant Will didn't have to put any effort into conversation, at least. He usually liked talking with the people he drove, but today he was exhausted. So he had no problem keeping his mouth shut and his eyes on the road throughout the whole ride.

But something about the boy intrigued him. Will couldn't help stealing glances at him throughout the trip. Nico first buried himself in his phone again, then apparently got bored and resorted to staring out of the window.

He was sort of pretty, Will thought, and then immediately wanted to kick himself for thinking. No no no no no. It had been a long day already. He was not going to let himself start crushing on a random stranger, too.

And yet… the way Nico's hair swept into broad curls at the nape of his neck, how his now-revealed dark eyes darted around the world outside as if taking note of every detail, how he was fidgeting slightly, lacing and unlacing his fingers…

Will jumped as a car honked, alerting him that the light had changed to green at the intersection they were stopped at. His face burned as he started driving forward, hoping that Nico hadn't noticed him looking. When he glanced in the rearview mirror again, he saw that Nico was looking straight at him, too, and they made eye contact for a terrifying millisecond before Will snapped his eyes back to the road.

Oh, no. Oh, no. Cute boy plus Will's tendency to fall in love with anyone remotely kind to him equaled something very bad. But he couldn't keep himself from paying attention to the dark haired boy in the backseat.

Nico didn't seem as bothered, though, and he pulled out a piece of paper from his bag, dragging his finger across it in lines to help him follow along. Will wondered what was so interesting on the paper that it made Nico lean down to look at it and bob his head along as he read. He then began to hum, still pouring over the paper. He was reading a piece of music, then? Eventually, the humming escalated into quiet singing. Will was as silent as he could be, but he couldn't make out any of the words.

"Are you a singer?" He asked in a break when Nico had gone quiet, scribbling something down.

"Huh?" Nico looked up.

"You have a beautiful voice. Are you a singer?"

"Oh. Yeah. I am."

"That's cool." There was something about this boy that made Will desperately want to impress him. He wasn't cool in the traditional sense, but he had a certain fierceness in his eyes, like he could break every bone in Will's hand if he wanted to. "I like to sing, too. Uh- but just as a hobby, i'm not a professional or anything."

"Then go ahead," Nico said.

"What?"

"Sing."

"S-sing what?"

"Anything. The last song you listened to."

Unsure of himself, Will began to quietly mumble the words of a pop song he liked. When Nico didn't laugh or turn away, Will let himself get a little louder. When he finished, he had to fight to keep from fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, hoping that Nico wouldn't be too harsh on him.

Finally, Nico spoke. "Would you like to be on my album?"

"Really?" That came out of nowhere, Will thought.

"Yes. I think you're the one with the beautiful voice."

Will let out a half scoff-half laugh. "I'm not that good."

"Yes you are. And I've been looking for someone to sing this song I wrote with me… would you be interested?"

"Yes! Yeah, definitely." Will was almost stumbling over his words. Why did this boy make him so nervous?

"Great. I already have your number, so I can text you the details."

Will knew that Nico's stop was approaching. It was only one more turn away, actually. So he opened his mouth and said something incredibly stupid. "Well, I don't really know how this works, so- so you'll probably have to explain a lot. It might be easier in person." Will was slowing down now, preparing to pull over. It was now or never. "Maybe we could talk about it over coffee?"

Nico was silent, but when Will glanced into the mirror, he was smiling shyly. "Yeah. That sounds nice." He opened the door and prepared to step out. "Text me when."

And with that, he was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

"Uh, Nico?" Piper squinted at the phone screen she held in front of her.

"Yeah?"

She began to read. " _Hey, it's Will (your uber driver). You said coffee sounded good? How about Saturday at 10_?"

"Oh, good." Nico plucked the phone from Piper's hand and started to text back. "This is who I got."

"Got for what?" Annabeth, who was leaning so far back in a beanbag chair Piper thought her back would snap, asked.

"The song."

"You got some rando to sing with you?" Annabeth asked. "Instead of, like, and actual singer?"

"Well, I made him sing for me first," Nico insisted, his brows furrowing. "He had a good voice."

"Are you sure you weren't blinded by love?" Piper asked. "Or in this case, deafened by love?"

"I didn't even ask him! I was just going to text him the stuff; he was the one who suggested we go on a coffee date for it!"

"So then you admit it is a date," Jason threw in from the other side of the room.

Nico shrugged.

"Okay, I think you just brought up the song thing because you wanted to go on a date with a hot guy. Please at least tell me he's hot," Percy chimed in.

Nico smiled elusively. "It wasn't because of that. But, you know, if I can take out two birds with one stone, that's not a downside."

"Oh my god," Piper muttered.

"Come on, you guys. I know what I'm doing. His voice was good; it'll sound nice in the part I wrote. Just trust me."

"Every time you say that, something horrible happens," Jason pointed out.

Nico scowled. "Not every time."

"It feels like it," Annabeth muttered. "But okay, fine. If you want to sing it with your new boyfriend, go for it. Who knows, maybe he'll actually be good."

"He will," Nico insisted. "And he's not my boyfriend!"


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey," Nico said breathily as he flopped into the chair opposite Will.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Just-" He gestured around wildly. "People being annoying." His chest was heaving; had he run here?

"Oh. Well, coffee makes everything better. What can I get you?"

"No, no, I won't make you pay." He was now fumbling with his brown leather messenger bag.

"Come on, you need to get your papers ready. It'll just be easier for me to grab it for you. What do you want?"

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Well, I'll pay for you next time, then. Just a caramel macchiato for me, please?"

Will clenched his hand in his pocket as he made his way toward the counter.  _Next time_. There was going to be a next time. The thought made him strangely excited, but he couldn't figure out why.

"One espresso and one caramel macchiato, please," Will told the barista. She smiled at him and nodded, beginning to prepare the drinks after taking his card. Will glanced back at Nico, who had now spread sheet music and written documents all over their table and was straightening them out nervously.

Why was he nervous? Well, he still barely knew Will. That was probably why.

Will grabbed their drinks and sat back down at the table, smiling. Nico smiled back, albeit reluctantly, and gingerly took the cup, as if afraid to brush Will's fingers. When Nico saw Will's drink, he raised his eyebrows.

"Just plain espresso? That's more bitter than I expected from you, mister sunshine."

"That's  _Doctor_  Sunshine to you, Death Boy."

Nico scowled, living up to his new nickname, but then quickly shook his head, throwing off his dour demeanor.

"Okay, let's get started, then." He picked up a stack of papers.

"Yeah. What exactly are we gonna do?"

"Well," he held up a particular piece of music. "I wrote a song. And you're gonna sing it with me. Can you read sheet music?"

"Uh, yes," Will said, insulted. "Of course I can."

"Just checking! A lot of people can't."

"Yeah, well, I've been playing guitar since I was like, three, so..."

"Okay, okay, jeez. You're awfully touchy about your musical capabilities."

Will shrugged.

"But that's good. Here." He handed Will the notebook. "I think it should be in your range."

Next to each of the lines, there were labels written: 'Me' for one and '?' for the other. Will guessed that he was '?'. He scanned the paper, looking for notes that were too high or too low for him. As he worked to decipher Nico's small, cramped handwriting, he couldn't help but admire the lyrics. They were about pain, loss, growing up and leaving the old behind, but picking up new things along the way. Much more eloquent than anything Will could've written.

He had attempted to write a song once or twice, but the lyrics had been childish and simplistic, and he'd condemned the songs to the dark depths of some drawer somewhere, never to see the light of day.

But this… this was nothing like Will's lyrics. Nico was clearly an experienced songwriter.

"How long have you been writing?" Will asked, finally breaking the comfortable silence that had settled between them. "Music, I mean? Lyrics?"

"Mmm… eight-ish years? Started when I was thirteen."

"Wow. You're really good. This is amazing."

Was it just him, or did Nico's cheeks redden a little bit? "Please. It's not that good. And trust me, my songs were not nearly as complex back when I started. God, I think I've still got a few of them hanging around. If I showed you one of those, you'd lose all respect for me instantly."

"I seriously doubt that," Will said honestly, looking Nico in the eyes. "I doubt anything could do that." They hovered there for a second, which gave Will time to think about what a stupid thing that was to say. He started to feel his hands get clammy under Nico's gaze. Finally, Nico looked down, clearly uncomfortable with Will's sudden openness.

"A-anyways," he stammered. "Can you sing it?"

"Yes!" Will nearly jumped out of his chair, eager for the opportunity to change the subject. "Yeah, I can."

"Great." Nico gave Will a small smile as he took the paper back, but there was still a lingering wariness in his eyes left by Will's too-forward comment. "I'll- uh- I'll email you a digital version- made with an actual sheet music program. I doubt you want my intelligible hand copy. And maybe we can start in the studio next week? When are you free?"

"As long as it's after five, I'm free every day.

"How about next Tuesday at five-thirty, then? I'll send you the location when I email the music."

"Perfect." By now, they had both finished their coffee, and Nico began to pack up.

"Thanks for the coffee," Nico said. "And for talking with me. This was fun."

"Yeah! And I can't wait to get started on the song."

Nico smiled at him, a real smile, and Will found it hard to breathe. "Oh, and one more thing," Nico said, his eyebrows furrowing as he thought. "Have you ever heard any of my songs before?"

The truth was that Will hadn't before he met Nico; it's not like Nico was super mainstream or anything. But after that day when he'd- for some reason- said yes to being on Nico's next album, Will had gone home and listened to his entire repertoire.

And loved it, too.

"I've heard a couple," he lied.

"Oh, good. I wanted to make sure you knew this wasn't some bright bubbly pop song you were getting into."

"Excuse me, Death Boy, are you assuming what kind of music I like based on my appearance? You know what they say about assuming…"

Nico rolled his eyes, but Will could tell he didn't mean it. "See you on Tuesday, Doctor Sunshine." He slung his bag over his shoulder, and with that, he was gone.

As soon as he was alone, Will buried his head in his hands. "Oh, I am so, so screwed."


	4. Chapter 4

Nico glanced at the clock again, tapping his foot. Will should've been there twenty minutes ago. He knew he shouldn't worry, but he couldn't help himself, and his mind jumped to the worst immediately. Maybe Will had decided not to come. Maybe he decided he didn't like Nico. Maybe he never planned on going through with this, anyway, and only said yes to make fun of Nico.

That last idea made an uncomfortable lump grow in his throat. He should've known it wasn't going to end any different than the other times he'd futility tried to make friends. Why would Will even want to be around him, anyway? He shouldn't have gotten his hopes up. He shouldn't have-

Finally, he heard a knock on the studio door. Jumping up, he almost knocked over a stray can of soda hanging around. He dashed over to the door to reveal Will standing there sheepishly.

"Sorry," he told Nico. "Traffic was just terrible. But I'm here now."

Nico stepped aside to let Will in, now suddenly ashamed at how quickly he'd assumed Will would abandon him. Will was nice. Will wouldn't do that.

Still, now that the thought was there, it wouldn't leave him, making itself a comfortable nest in the back of Nico's brain. You don't even know him, it whispered. How do you know he's nice? How do you know he's not about to split at any moment?

Shut up, Nico told it. Also, no one uses split anymore. Get a new slang word.

Nico lead Will over to a comfy chair near the back of the studio, and he flashed a grin at Nico as he sat. Nico had come to learn that these dazzling grins were part of Will's trademark, as ever present as his sparkling blue eyes.

Nico froze. Nope. No. There would be no talk of sparkling blue eyes in these parts, no sir. Absolutely not.

Still, Nico remembered how he had covered the table at the coffee shop with papers he didn't use, over preparing for even the casual meeting. How he'd avoided making contact with Will's skin even the slightest bit. How, hell, he didn't even know this kid, and yet he'd offered him a spot on his album. His music was the second most important thing to Nico in all this world, and he'd let a person he barely knew into it. He was pathetic.

"Would you like something to drink?" Nico asked, figuring it was a good place to start. "I've got coffee, water, soda…"

"A cup of coffee sounds amazing, actually." Nico nodded, walking over to the little coffee machine next to the mini fridge and microwave in the back. He spent more late nights in here than he probably should have, so this little mini kitchen came in handy surprisingly often.

"How would you like it?" he asked.

"Black."

"Like your soul," Nico mumbled, and Will laughed out loud, despite Nico not realizing he could hear. Nico busied himself with the coffee maker, not wanting to think about the way Will's laugh made him feel. No, Will couldn't be further from a darkblack soul. Not when his smile was so bright, it made everyone else in the room grin, too.

As he was making the coffee, Will took a deep breath, then let it out, looking around the studio. "I have a question," he said finally.

"Yeah?"

"How are we doing this? Don't you need to book a studio, like, months in advance?"

"Normally, yes. But I own this studio."

"What?"

"I paid six months rent down a few months ago. And since I mix everything myself, I don't need to line up scheduling with anyone else. Usually I just come here by myself whenever I feel like it and make stuff."

"Wait, you do everything yourself? The mixing and the instrumentation and everything?"

"Well, yeah. You'll be the first person I've actually worked with to make a song."

"Wait. Wait, wait, wait." Will seemed really caught up in something. "Y-you're telling me, that guitar solo after verse two in 'Write It On My Neck' was you? You played that?!"

Nico was done with the coffee now, but stopped, looking at Will. "That's a pretty obscure song of mine to know for someone who's supposedly only listened to a couple."

Will went red. "Well, I might've- I might've heard a few more than I let on."

Nico had to turn away so that Will didn't see how thrilled that made him. To be perfectly honest, he was kind of disappointed when Will said he hadn't heard very many of Nico's songs. Not that he had expected more, but still. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't ectatic now that he knew Will had listened to more of them- even some of the really obscure ones, it seemed.

"Yes. I played that."

"Whoa. Dude. That was amazing. Could you give me the music for that? I wanna play it so bad."

"Sure." Nico handed Will his cup of coffee. "But how about we get started on this song first?"

"Oh, right. Good idea."

Nico made his way over to the entrance to the recording booth and opened the door. "Go on," he said. "You can bring your coffee in as long as you promise not to spill it. Let me start the recording."

"Start it now? But we haven't even practiced yet!"

"Right, but what if our practice is better than what we recorded? I usually record the entire session, and then just… crop it to all hell."

Will laughed. Seriously, did this guy ever stop smiling? "Sounds good. Can I start picking around your instruments?"

"Go for it."

Will disappeared into the recording booth as Nico fiddled with the huge mixing console, starting their first recording together. Then he, too, slipped into the booth, and the real work began.


	5. Chapter 5

Will sighed, falling backwards to flop down on his bed. It had been a long day, with a rude middle-aged rich lady backseat driving and criticizing his car for two hours.

Seriously, why would someone take an uber for a  _two hour_ car ride? Why would you want to be stuck in a car with a stranger for that long? Will didn't get it. But, oh well, at least he'd been paid well for it.

Staring up at his ceiling, Will couldn't stop his mind from wandering to the day before, when he and Nico had stayed late in the studio, talking and laughing and singing until almost midnight. Then, since he had taken a bus there, Nico drove him home. With the wind from the open window in his face and a beautiful boy next to him, Will felt like he was in a cheesy teen movie.

Never mind that they were both twenty-one and technically not teenagers anymore. It didn't stop him from eyeing Nico's hand nervously, wondering what it would be like to hold it in his own.

He knew he was going quick. They'd only known each other for, what, a week now? And truthfully, he couldn't classify his feelings as anything but intrigue at this point.

He didn't know Nico very well. But he'd be damned if he didn't want to.

Nico fascinated him. How fierce his eyes were. But then sometimes, when he didn't think anyone could see, how a strange sadness overtook his features. How passionate he was about music. How glowingly he spoke of his sister. How Will could never quite tell what he was thinking.

How there were times like yesterday when Nico completely blindsided him. Yesterday, it had been just half an hour after they'd gotten into the studio. After their previous time being spent messing around with the instruments and Nico showing Will how the sound editing worked, they finally started singing for the first time.

Nico's voice blew Will away. Not because it was powerful, or show stopping, but because it was… Will couldn't think of the word. Personal, maybe? Nico sung quietly, so much so that Will had to lean in to hear all of the words. He had so much emotion in his voice, could make himself vulnerable so easily and clearly. It gave him a sort of simple, comfortable elegance, which was a stark contrast to how Will had seen him act previously; shy, nervous, avoiding eye contact.

Then, Will remembered, whatever fearlessness with his emotions that Nico had been displaying vanished the moment the music stopped.

It was strange.

Will's phone buzzed suddenly, pulling him out of his thoughts. He rolled over, not wanting to expend the effort required to sit up, and pulled the screen close to his face. The brightness was too far up, so he had to squint to make out the words displayed on his phone.

_**Nico di Angelo** _

_Would you like to meet my sister?_

Will immediately swiped in and began typing back.

_Hazel? Yeah, I'd love to! But why?_

It was less than thirty seconds before Nico responded.

_She's heard me talking about you and wants to meet you_

Will grinned.  _He talks about me,_ he thought, clutching the phone to his chest.

_Ok, cool! When and where?_

_Friday, 7? We'll pick you up?_

_Sounds great!_

Will dropped the phone on his bed, speeding into the kitchen. He knew he had to find something to busy himself with so he could contain his excitement. Seeing the dirty dishes piling up in the sink, he figured that was as good of a busywork as any.

_He invited me to meet his sister. That must mean he likes me well enough, right? And he told Hazel about me! Wait, I wonder what he said…_

Suddenly, Will's mind went racing, imagining all the things Nico could have said about him- good and bad. His dish-scrubbing became even more vigorous as he began to worry- had Nico been complaining about him? Maybe Hazel only wanted to meet him so she could confirm how awful Nico had described him to be. Maybe Nico didn't even-

"You ok there, kid?" said a voice behind him. Will spun around, clutching the plate in front of him like a shield. Lee, his older brother and roommate, was standing there, looking amused. "What did that plate ever do to you, huh?"

"S-sorry." Will gently placed the plate into the sink. "I was thinking."

"Thinking? About what?" Lee took a step toward Will, leaning in and trying to catch his eye. But Will was persistent in avoiding his gaze.

"N-nothing."

"You were thinking about nothing. Which made you try to murder that plate."

"Y-yes."

Lee pressed toward him even more. "Do you have a crush?"

"What?! N-no! Absolutely not! That's- that's ridiculous!"

Lee smiled fondly at him. "Cute dumb kid. You totally have a crush."

"No I do not." Will said each word forcefully, glaring at his brother.

"Mmm… yeah you do."

"No, I… well, I guess I… but…" Will was spluttering now.

"What's her name?"

Will went red.

Lee raised his eyebrows. " _His_ name?"

Will went even redder.

"…Nico," he whispered.

Lee propped his elbows up on the counter as he spoke. "Nico. That's a nice name. Is he cute?"

"I-I guess…"

"You  _guess_?"

Will now looked like a ripe tomato. Lee laughed.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop teasing you." He pushed off of the counter and sauntered over to the couches, flopping down with an exaggerated sigh. "I still wanna know about him, though."

Will took a few tentative steps toward the couches, dragging a hand along the counter. He glanced at the ground, a smile stuck on his face. "Nico is… he's…" Will shook his head.

"Oh my god, you're so in love," Lee laughed.

Will looked up at him, scowling again. "Okay, fine, if you're just gonna make fun of me-" He turned and started marching back to his room, but Lee jumped up, still laughing, and grabbed at his brother's shoulder.

"No, no, Will- Willy, don't be like that- Will, c'mon." Finally Will stopped, letting Lee drape his arms around Will's shoulders with an over exaggerated pout. "I'm sowwy." He grinned suddenly. "But I just couldn't resist. You're  _so_ obvious."

Will was smiling a little now. "It's just a crush. Not a big deal."

"You should invite him over! I can be a great waiter, and besides, he'd be totally impressed if he knew you could cook."

"But I  _can't_  cook."

"Well, he'd be impressed if he  _thought_ you could cook, then."

Will shook him off, laughing. "No. And we're going to a… actually, I don't know where we're going on Saturday. He just said he'd pick me up."

"You don't know where you're going?"

"Uhh, no?"

"He's gonna kidnap you."

Wll rolled his eyes. "He's not gonna kidnap me."

"You don't know that! And, y'know, I don't know how I feel about this guy who I've never met refusing to say where he's taking my  _baby brother_ -"

"Lee."

"-and I've never even heard of him before, so clearly you can't have known him for very long-"

" _Lee._ "

Lee grinned, dropping his worried facade. "Nah, I'm just messin' with ya. Do be careful, though. And probably find out where you're going."

"Okay, okay." Will tried to pull away from Lee's hold to get to his room, but he held fast.

"Oh, no. You're not slipping away from me yet. You've gotta tell me all about this guy first!"

Will groaned. "Fine. Well, first of all, he's a singer-"

"Ooh, that's hot!" said Lee, making Will blush once again as he pulled him onto the balcony so Will could tell him more.


	6. Chapter 6

"I can't believe you're serious about this," Hazel said, watching Nico's white knuckles grip the steering wheel.

Nico didn't respond, keeping his eyes on the road. When he didn't acknowledge her, Hazel reached over and tucked a stray hair behind his ear. "I mean, asking him to meet your family? That's a big step, Nico. I didn't realize you liked him so much." Her voice was full of sympathy, but Nico could see out of the corner of his eye that her eyes were twinkling.

"Quit making fun of me, Hazel," he mumbled. "'S just ice cream. And I brought you because I thought you two would get along."

"Alright." Hazel raised her hands defensively, but Nico knew she didn't believe him. He also knew she was right. With both his and Hazel's parents absent, bringing his sister to meet Will was the best he could do to show him he was serious about their friendship. Their friendship. That was all. Nothing more. Just friends.

"I don't like him," Nico decided to say after a moment of quiet.

Hazel had the nerve to laugh. "Please, Nico, don't try that with me."

"I do not like him."

"Then why am I here?"

"Because he's my friend!"

"Uh-huh."

There was another minute of silence as Nico tried to think of a response. To be honest, he didn't know how he felt about Will. He tried not to think about it.

Finally, he pulled up in front of Will's apartment building. Sighing, he picked up his phone and texted:  _here_.

A few minutes later, Will clambered into their backseat. Hazel turned around in the passenger's seat to address him.

"Hello, Will!" She offered him her hand, smiling. "I'm Hazel, Nico's sister. He's told me so much about you!"

Will smiled too and shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you! All good things, I hope?"

Hazel shook her head. "He hasn't spoken one ill word of you."

Nico cleared his throat, giving Hazel the cue to sink back into her seat normally.

"Hey, Will," he said. "How have you been?"

.

.

By the time they pulled into the parking lot, Nico was starting to regret his decision. Being trapped in a car with two very happy, optimistic people was simultaneously making his head hurt and his heart glow. It was confusing.

As soon as they stepped into the ice cream shop, Nico regretted it even more. The line was huge, and there were absolutely no tables left. People stood leaning against the walls throughout the whole shop; there was barely enough room to move.

"Maybe we should just go to another ice cream place," Nico said.

"Nooo, this place is special!" Hazel protested. "They make those huge shakes with the cups as wide as your face, covered in whipped cream and chocolate sauce- they're the best place in town! We have to go here!"

"I'm willing to wait for that," Will agreed. Nico sighed.

"Looks like I've been outvoted, then. But there's not way I'm waiting for a table."

As soon as they stepped in line, Hazel glanced at Nico and Will, then grinned. "Um, I- I have to go the bathroom! You two have fun!" She shoved her bag into Nico's hands and then disappeared into the crowded shop.

"I hate you so much," Nico mumbled, knowing exactly what she was doing. He turned to Will awkwardly and cleared his throat. "So, uh… yeah."

Will smirked. "How eloquent."

"Shut up, Doctor Sunshine."

"Make me, Death Boy."

Nico glanced away quickly, trying to keep himself from thinking about what  _that_ line meant. It didn't work.

It took a few moments for Nico to contain his blush enough to turn back to Will, but what he saw set him red as a strawberry all over again. Will had a dusting of pink on his cheeks as well, proving he knew how flirty that response had sounded. But he'd obviously stopped thinking about it, because he was now focused on something new. Nico followed his gaze to see a baby swaddled in pink grabbing at a mobile which dangled above their stroller. But the baby wasn't what made him blush, obviously. It was the way Will looked at them, his eyes twinkling. Caught off guard, Nico wasn't alert enough to stop himself from observing Will's blue eyes that always mirrored the sky, now greyed from the oncoming thunderstorm. He didn't stop himself from noticing how Will was tilting head head to one side slightly, making locks of sandy blond hair fall lazily on the side of his face. He didn't stop himself from trying to count every little freckle speckled all over Will's face.

He didn't stop himself, that is, until Will looked back at him. Immediately, Nico's gaze shot to the ground, and he prayed that Will hadn't seen what he was doing. He kept his eyes trained on the floor for a long time, until he felt sure enough to look up again. Will was staring at him now the same way Nico had just been staring in reverse. Except Will didn't look away. They stayed, locking eyes, and Nico swallowed hard, preparing to say something, and maybe he would have said something, except-

"Can you two stop making love eyes at each other and move forward, please?" A gruff-sounding man said behind them. The boys both jumped, hurrying forward to close the gap they'd accidentally left in the line.

Nico's head was filled with nothing but swear words, and the occasional plea for Hazel to come back and save him.

"Uhhh- so, what are you going to get?" Will asked quickly, his voice shaking.

"I- I don't know. Hazel said the shakes are good," Nico replied, just as eager to change the subject.

"Yeah. Shakes." Will still wouldn't look at him.

Hazel did arrive back soon enough, smirking at Nico until she saw how he and Will refused to touch each other even the slightest bit. She shot Nico a quizzical look, but said nothing.

Ordering took Nico's mind off of what had just happened, and he laughed when Will accidentally said 'sparkles' instead of 'sprinkles'.

"It's not a crafts project, Solace," he had teased. Will had laughed, too, and just like that, the previous awkwardness seemed forgotten.

Once the three of them had their shakes, they stepped out of the shop, eager to escape the oppressive crowd.

"Where should we sit?" Will asked. "Is there a bench nearby?"

"Let's go on the boardwalk!" Hazel suggested. "It's right there." She pointed with her free hand.

Nico opened his mouth to protest that he didn't even  _like_ the beach, but Will was already off. Hazel shrugged at Nico smugly before following.

 _Outvoted again_ , Nico thought, although some part of him wondered if he might have made a bigger protest if Will wasn't the one wanting to go.

Pushing that thought out of his mind, he followed the other two.

Eventually, they fell into a sort of rhythm, walking in a line of three. Nico was walking closest to the edge, most likely intentionally done by Hazel just to torture him, and Will had somehow been shoved to the middle, also most likely Hazel's doing, and definitely to torture him. They talked and laughed, making jokes and enjoying the ocean breeze. Nico decided that he couldn't finish his ice cream and Will graciously volunteered to eat the rest of it. Hazel and Will got along incredibly well, just as Nico had predicted. Too well, actually. Their puns were getting sort of annoying.

Still, he thought, maybe the beach wasn't too bad, especially when he got to be there with these losers.

None of them noticed the rain at first, as they assumed it was just ocean mist. They didn't notice it at all, actually, until the sun started to dip.

Nico asked, "Why is the boardwalk deserted?"

Hazel asked, "How is my bag all wet when I'm the furthest from the ocean?"

Will asked, "Why did it get so dark all of a sudden?"

The three of them locked eyes for a moment, realizing the answer to their questions, a millisecond before water started pouring.

Immediately, they all turned on their heels and started running back along the boardwalk, but they had walked way too far down.

"How did it just go from nothing to flood levels?!" Will yelled over the water pounding on the wood. "Rain doesn't even  _do_ that!"

"My question is why they didn't put any dam shades on this stupid beach!" Hazel called back.

By the time they got back to the car, all three of them were soaking wet. They clambered inside hurriedly, climbing over each other, drenched but laughing. Once they were all settled, Nico said: "I'm sorry, Will. Didn't mean to ruin your shoes, we just wanted to take you out for ice cream. I'm sorry."

"It's fine!" He laughed. "This was fun! And besides, I'm wearing flip flops."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Okay, let's get home before this rain gets any worse."


	7. Chapter 7

Will took a deep breath, and opened the door to Nico's studio. Nico, of course, was already bustling around inside it, checking the sound levels of the mics, mixing and trying out new things with the tracks they'd already recorded, and making coffee (of course). Will sighed, smiling.

"Why're you so obsessed with coffee, anyways?" he asked. "You're always making it when I come over."

Nico stopped, headphones hanging precariously off his neck, his hands still stuck in the air, reaching out for something. Once he realized what Will had said, he tilted his head slightly. "Well, it's the only drink I know you actually like."

"I like plenty of... other drinks." Will eyed Nico's cabinet.

Nico raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "We're not getting drunk. We've got work to do."

"No, Death Boy. That's  _not_ what I was suggesting. I just want something other than coffee."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Picky, picky." Then he dropped the farce of irritation and turned to Will with a slight smile stuck on his face. "What do you want, then?"

"I dunno. Water?"

"Pssssh. Boring."

" _You're_ boring," Will said, pouting and crossing his arms.

"You're an idiot," Nico shot back.

"Well you're- you're- ugh, I can't of anything."

Nico laughed lightly, and Will felt his heart skip a beat. Nico quickly filled up a glass of water and said: "Let's go; I'm eager to start."

The two of them made their way into the recording booth, and Nico pulled a keyboard over, playing a few chords to warm up. Will bit his tongue as he sat down, too, wondering if he should admit what was on his mind.

"Nico," Will said quickly, before he could chicken out. Nico looked up, surprised at Will using his first name. Usually it was  _Death Boy_ or  _Mr. Doom-and-Gloom_  or just  _Di Angelo_. But neither of them usually used their first names with each other. After getting Nico's attention, Will continued.

"I know- I know we've been working to finish up this song… figuring out the instrumental and all." Will fiddled with the strings on his guitar, plucking out a scattered melody that was only slightly fainter than his voice. "And that's been great. The song. But- I mean, I was thinking. If… If I…"

"Spit it out, Solace," Nico said gently, his tone sounding out of place while saying a usually harsh phrase.

"I wrote- something. A stanza or two. I don't know. But if we- I mean, don't get me wrong, I love your songwriting, but if we were to- write something- together?" Will looked up at Nico expectantly.

Nico sat back in his chair slowly, studying Will's face. Perhaps he was trying to gage how serious Will was. Finally, he spoke.

"Let me hear what you have."

Taking that as a yes, Will sagged with relief. Still, he stumbled over his next sentences. "Well, I- I don't have a melody yet. Just some words. Lyrics. I don't- I don't know."

Nico tilted his head again. "Let me see it, then."

Will pulled the crumpled paper out of his pocket, suddenly ashamed at the state of his lyrics. It was nothing like Nico's folders packed full of lyrics and notes. Why had he decided to show Nico some stupid barely-started project, anyways?

But to Will's surprise, Nico poured over the paper intensely, as if it was the most precious piece of writing in the world.

"It's not that good-" Will started, but Nico cut him off by raising one finger.

Finally, Nico lifted his head. "I like it," he said, smoothing out the paper and handing it back to Will.

"You- You do?"

"Yeah. I'd love to write the rest with you."

"Really?!" Will couldn't contain his excitement.

"Of course, Solace."

So they were off. Writing, playing, singing.

Of course, every once in a while, one of them remembered they had the first song, Nico's song that had started this all, to work on, but after trying that for a few minutes, they would inevitably get caught up in the thrill of a new project again. That first song was almost done anyways, they only needed to polish it, and now with this whole new idea in front of them... It was impossible to resist.

As they wrote the first draft of the lyrics, Will was constantly aware of how personal they were. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't written the first few lines about Nico. But it surprised him how easily Nico seemed to be writing about their relationship, too.

Their relationship. As in, how their relations with each other were going. Friendship was a more accurate term, really. The song was about friendship. Right. Not a relationship. Because they weren't in a relationship.

But as the night wore on, it became impossible for Will to ignore that they were indeed writing a love song. A full on, head over heels love song. Lee would have a field day.

Will would never, ever say it out loud to Nico, of course. And if Nico realized it, he didn't want to admit it, either. But they were definitely writing about love. And they were definitely writing about their experiences with each other.

So, Will thought, not wanting to connect the dots, that meant that their experiences with each other were-

"Friendship," Will said out loud, beating the other word that came to mind down deep within his brain. Luckily, Nico didn't hear him.

They continued working for hours, until eventually Nico threw his pencil down, rubbing his eyes. He moved his wrist around in a circle.

"You ok?" Will asked.

"Fine. Just tired. And my hand hurts. Jeez, why did I decide to write all of the notes down by hand? I'm dumb."

"You're not dumb."

"Well, I chose the option that caused me more pain, so, objectively…"

Will rolled his eyes. "Maybe we should stop. It's getting late."

Nico stood up and made his way towards the mini kitchen, grumbling: "I need some coffee."

Will reached out and grabbed Nico's arm, pulling him back lightly. "No no no, you do not need  _more_ of that stuff. I'm sure caffeine is pumping through your veins already." He froze when he realized that he'd accidentally pulled Nico down onto the couch next to him. "S-sorry, I shouldn't have grabbed you…"

Nico waved him off. "It's fine. But I don't need a lecture on why coffee is bad for me, thanks. I get enough of your doctor-y rants already."

"Hey!" Will pouted. "I think I've been pretty self restrained with those."

"Mm-hm. Whatever you say, Sunny Boy." Nico stretched out, making himself comfortable on the couch. "So what do you want to do, then? I don't feel like leaving."

"Me neither," Will agreed quickly. "We could just watch TV or something." He gestured to the medium-sized television sitting long the opposite wall. "Why do you even have a TV in here, anyways?"

Nico grabbed the remote and switched the TV on. "I practically live here, Solace. I've spent more late nights in here than I can remember."

"Fair enough," Will conceded, and Nico started channel flipping. Finally, they found one that they could both agree on: The House Hunting Channel.

"Truly, it's mediocrity makes it suitable for everyone," Will said.

"No one likes it, but no one hates it either," Nico agreed.

They settled in, watching some bland white couple argue about whether a townhouse or standalone house would be better for them. Eventually, Will felt his eyelids getting heavy. Nico shivered next to him.

"Jeez, it's freezing in here," Nico mumbled, grabbing a nearby blanket.

"Mm," Will hummed back, too tired to form actual words.

The TV droned on, and eventually, Nico's head began to droop. Somehow, it fell onto Will's lap.

Will froze. Nico seemed half asleep already, so he probably didn't even notice what he was doing.

But Will noticed. Will definitely noticed. He stared at Nico's chest rising and falling, the TV show immediately forgotten. Will watched as Nico's hair fluttered in a breeze from the vent. Not being able to help himself, he reached out and ran his fingers through Nico's hair slowly, careful not to wake him.

Nico's hair was soft. He smelled of soap and pine trees. He shifted slightly, his fingers curling into a loose fist. Will's heart was beating so fast, he was sure it was going to wake Nico up. Will laughed nervously, shaking his head. Then he tilted his head up to look at the ceiling of his cabin.

"This boy is gonna be the death of me," he whispered, a grin stretching from ear to ear.


	8. Chapter 8

Nico jammed his finger into the elevator button repeatedly, anxious to get upstairs as soon as possible. Once the doors closed, he leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms and trying to stay composed. But he couldn't help himself. He was grinning when the doors opened on Will's floor.

Nico rushed through the halls, searching for Will's apartment number, 612. He passed 608, no, 610, no, 612! He stopped abruptly in front of the door, knocking more times than necessary. When Will opened it, he was grinning, too. Immediately, Nico flew at Will, tossing his arms around him. Will, shocked at Nico showing physical contact for once, stumbled backward, but Nico pulled away quickly, grabbing Will's arms to steady him.

"I- I saw your text," was the first thing Will stammered out.

"I know! Isn't it amazing!"

"Y-Yeah!"

Around fifteen minutes ago, Nico had texted Will about  _Tomorrow's Name_ , the first song they had sung together. Nico had just discovered that it had charted in the top 100 for that week, the week after they released it. For a small, obscure act like Nico, that was mind boggling.

"I can't believe it was so popular!" Will admitted, laughing and rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I guess it just needed your spark," Nico said honestly. Will's face turned red, and immediately Nico regretted saying that. But to his surprise, Will just smiled even wider.

"Yeah… I guess it did." Will's froze. "I-I mean, not to take any of the credit or anything. You did almost everything, I really just sang-"

"No, that's not true." Nico held up his hands to stop Will, then playfully punched him in the arm. "Credit where credit is due, Solace. You made some key decisions about what direction to take the song in… it wouldn't be the same without you."

Will looked strangely nervous, so Nico tried for a comforting smile. This only seemed to scare Will even more, though, so Nico figured he must've been grimacing instead by accident. He never was the best at smiling.

"Nico, I…" Will looked torn, like he couldn't decide what to say. "I'm really happy for you."

Nico was still too ecstatic about the song to think about what  _else_ Will might have been about to say. "Thank you. But you should be happy for yourself, too. I saw how hard you worked on  _Tomorrow's Name_."

"Not as hard as you."

Nico tilted his head. "No, I guess not. You've been busy working on that new song, hm, Doctor Solace?"

That got Will's attention.

"Yeah… I-I have…"

Nico almost grinned. "I'm excited for that one, too."

"So am I."

Will smiled at him again, because of course he did, because he was just full of smiles, today and always. But this time, there was something different in his face. It wasn't the bright, cheerful beam that Nico had become accustomed to. It was something softer, something deeper, showing fondness instead of optimism. Nico wasn't quite sure what that smile meant, but it made the shadows from the golden light of the window fall on Will's face perfectly. His hair seemed to glow. Flecks of gold became visible in his bright blue eyes.

How had Nico never noticed those before?

"Will…" Nico reached out and grabbed Will's hand without thinking. Will's eyes widened, but he didn't look away. "This is only the beginning."

Will's eyes flickered back and forth between Nico's. "What do you mean?"

Nico didn't know.

He meant a lot of things.

He decided to start with the easy one first.

"I mean… this is only the first song we've done together. Do you know how much farther we have to go? It's- it's exciting. We've only just started."

Will nodded, looking vaguely disappointed "Yeah."

Nico bit his lip, focusing on the sound of Will's breathing. After a moment, he took a step closer. He felt Will's breath on his face. "I- I mean something else, too."

Will still hadn't broken eye contact. "What?"

"I mean that this-" Nico leaned in further, close enough that he could feel Will's heartbeat against his own chest. "- _this_ -" Their hands were still locked together. "-is only the beginning."

Nico hoped Will understood what he meant. He couldn't put it into words. Luckily, Will seemed to get it. He nodded softly, as if in a trance, his eyes locked onto Nico's.

"I'm excited for-  _this_." His gaze flickered down to Nico's lips for a moment.

Nico nodded.

"I… Will, I think I…" Nico trailed off, distracted by Will's freckles. He'd never been close enough before to see them that well, but now, they were only a few inches away. They covered Will's face, as if an artist had flung a paintbrush and cast the tiny dots all over him. Nico again felt the urge to try and count them, just like he had in the ice cream shop a week before.

A strange feeling rising in the pit of his stomach that he didn't think he wanted to stop, Nico lifted his free hand and rested it on Will's cheek, tracing a line of freckles with his thumb. Although his gaze was now on Will's skin, Nico could still feel Will watching him.

"I think…" Nico was whispering now, desperately trying to find the right words for how he felt. "...Can I kiss you?"

That last question was breathed out, more air than words, and it wouldn't have been heard if the two of them weren't so close to each other. But as it was, Will did hear. He nodded, and Nico could see chills raising the hair on Will's neck.

It gave him a strange sense of satisfaction, knowing that he gave Will chills.

Nico took a shaky breath, eyes now fixed back on Will's sky-blue irises, and dipped his head forward, pressing his lips to Will's.

It was an amateur kiss. Will's right hand stayed limp by his side, as he surely had no idea what to do with it. Nico was positive he was squeezing Will's other hand too tight. His eyes were closed, but Nico could feel his hand on Will's cheek shaking, could feel Will's heartbeat racing just as fast as his, could feel Will tilt his head slightly to get a better angle. Every bit of Nico's skin that was touching Will felt like it was on fire, causing warmth to seep throughout his entire body, throughout his head. It filled his thoughts with nothing but Will, Will, Will. Nico let himself drown in the boy holding him.

When they pulled away, panting, eyes gleaming, Nico let out a breathy laugh. All of the nerves and adrenaline built up by the kiss seemed to run out of him at once, leaving him feeling warm and calm. He gazed up at Will, not bothering to police how lovestruck he looked.

"That was…"

"Yeah." Will was beaming back at Nico.

"Yeah," Nico repeated, laughing softly. He wrapped his arms around Will, holding him tight, barely even believing what had just happened.

He had just kissed Will Solace.

Will Solace had  _kissed him back_.

And Nico's lips still hadn't stopped tingling.


	9. Chapter 9

"So, rumor has it you two are about to release another song together," the reporter said with a well-practiced smile resting on her face. "Could you tell us about that, please?"

Will glanced over at Nico. After  _Tomorrow's Name_  had gotten big, some people started wondering where on earth it came from. Nico had been incredibly obscure before now, although his older music had received a bump in sales as people investigated him, and Will had never even released music before.

They'd even been invited to be interviewed by a local online newspaper. Nico had told Will: "It's not the New York Times or anything, but I still think it's exciting." Will definitely agreed. The fact that anyone was paying them any sort of attention at all was astounding. So here they were, sitting in a quiet room in some community center, the reporter sitting across from them taking notes and holding out a little handheld audio recorder. Why on earth they'd decided to meet here, Will didn't know. But here they were.

"Right," Nico said to the reporter. "Well, Will actually came up with the idea for that- the new song, I mean."

The reporter nodded, and turned her attention to Will, pushing the recorder in his direction.

"Uh, well-" Will wasn't having much trouble with most of the questions; where he was from, how he and Nico met, et cetera. But as soon as the conversation had gone to their actual work, Will got caught up. "We wrote it together, of course. I just brought in one sanza that I had written and we both built the rest."

"I see," the reporter commented. Will was incredibly aware that the back of his hand was pressed up against Nico's. It took all of his willpower to resist lacing their fingers together. After they had kissed- Will blushed slightly thinking of that- they decided to start dating. For real. In the weeks between then and now, Will had gotten used to leaning on Nico for emotional support. But, now… he wasn't sure. They were public- not that anyone really cared, they weren't  _that_ big- so they weren't opposed to small PDA. Still, Will refused to let himself hold Nico's hand. He was incredibly nervous, but what would the reporter think if he tugged on Nico's hand like a child? Would she write that Will was unsteady, unable to face people on his own? What would she-

Before Will could even finish his thought, Nico's hand slipped into his. Will glanced up at him, slightly surprised, but Nico just gave a small smile back. Nico was nervous, too, Will could tell, but he was better at hiding it, and was even trying to comfort Will now. How sweet. He was adorable.

Will made a mental note to tell him that later. For now, though, he had to answer the reporter's next question.

"Now, I know artists are often secretive about their projects, so you don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but- would you mind telling us a little bit of what it's about?"

Will glanced at Nico for help, who was clearly panicking at the question. He shot Will a look like  _Nope, sorry, can't help you, you're gonna have to take this one_. Will sighed a little, and tried to gather up his thoughts.

"Well," he began. "It's about us. How- how we met, and how we… became close."

"How you fell in love?" The reporter offered. Both of the boys' faces went red despite themselves.

"Uh- Well, yes," Will stammered out.

Nico cleared his throat, probably deciding not to let Will flounder any longer. "So, we just sort of wrote it about who we were, and- and how we felt about… getting to know each other."

"Mmhm." The reporter sat back in her chair. "And does this song have a name?"

Nico glanced over at Will. They'd been drafting a name, but hadn't actually decided yet. With a nod from Will, Nico turned back to the reporter. "Yeah."

"And it is?"

Nico was smiling as he answered. Will squeezed his hand.

" _Just By Happenstance_."


End file.
